Cops: Metra chief left note before apparently killing self

Emergency personnel gather at the scene where Philip Pagano was killed by a train this morning. Pagano was struck by a Metra train near the Crystal Lake station, sources say. (WGN-TV) | MORE PHOTOS

Metra executive director Philip Pagano left a note indicating he was going to commit suicide before he walked in front of a Metra train this morning and was killed, officials say.

Pagano -- under investigation for financial irregularities -- parked at a nearby gravel lot shortly before 8 a.m. and walked in front of the train just west of Terra Cotta Road on Hillside Road in Crystal Lake, McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said at an afternoon news conference.

Nygren said the engineer spotted Pagano about five to 10 seconds before impact. Pagano was standing in the middle of the tracks, facing the front of train, and the engineer braked but could not stop in time.

"The engineer looked right into the eyes of the man," Nygren said.

The sheriff said evidence found on his body and at Pagano's home -- including a letter -- appeared to indicate he was going to commit suicide.

"He left some written documents behind," Nygren said. "I would describe it as a letter indicating his intentions."

Nygren declined to elaborate on what evidence was found at the scene, but a source told the Tribune that Pagano's wallet was found on his body, along with a copy of Metra's procedures on how to handle a service disruption after a suicide.

Asked if Pagano told anyone of his plans, Nygren said he may have talked with one or more friends by telephone in the last 24 hours. The sheriff did not disclose the content of the calls.

McHenry County Coroner Marlene Lantz said the incident is still under investigation "but at this point it appears to be a suicide." She said an autopsy may be conducted Saturday.

The site of the incident is surrounded by a cornfield and an Illinois Prairie Path trailhead with a small gravel parking lot. There are a few homes nearby but set back from the tracks. Officials said there were 24 passengers on the train, plus two Metra crew members and the engineer, who is a Union Pacific employee.

Two miles away, McHenry County sheriff's investigators were going through Pagano's home in Crystal Lake. An investigator walked out of the house with evidence bags but they appeared empty.

"The follow-ups that we're doing are not out of the ordinary from what we would be doing for any death investigation," said Sgt. James Popovits of the McHenry County sheriff's office.